2021 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team

2021 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer
NCAA Tournament, Third Round
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
U. Soc. Coaches pollNo. 12
TopDrawerSoccer.comNo. 12
Record14–5–1 (5–2–1 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home stadiumKoskinen Stadium
Seasons
← 2020
2022 →
2021 ACC men's soccer standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Atlantic
No. 1 Clemson + 5 – 3 – 0 16 – 5 – 2
Louisville + 5 – 3 – 0 10 – 7 – 1
No. 17 Wake Forest + 4 – 3 – 1 13 – 7 – 1
Boston College 2 – 4 – 2 6 – 7 – 2
Syracuse 2 – 5 – 1 8 – 8 – 2
NC State 1 – 5 – 2 7 – 8 – 2
Coastal
No. 12 Duke + 5 – 2 – 1 14 – 5 – 1
No. 6 Pittsburgh + 5 – 2 – 1 13 – 5 – 2
No. 4 Notre Dame ‡ 4 – 2 – 2 14 – 5 – 5
North Carolina + 4 – 4 – 0 11 – 7 – 2
No. 19 Virginia Tech + 3 – 4 – 1 11 – 5 – 4
Virginia 2 – 5 – 1 6 – 9 – 3
As of December 14, 2021
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches
Source: The ACC

The 2021 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team represented Duke University during the 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The Blue Devils were led by head coach John Kerr, in his fourteenth season. They played their home games at Koskinen Stadium. The team was founded in 1935 and currently plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Blue Devils finished the season 14–5–1 overall and 5–2–1 in ACC play to finish in a tie for first place in the Coastal Division. As the third overall seed in the ACC Tournament, the received a bye into the Quarterfinals where they defeated Wake Forest and then defeated Clemson in the Semifinals. They fell in the final to Notre Dame. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and were awarded the seventh seed. Being a seeded team, they received a bye into the Second Round where they defeated UCLA before losing to tenth seeded Saint Louis in the Third Round.

Background

Main article: 2020 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team

The teams' 2020 season was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which curtailed the fall season and caused the NCAA Tournament to be played in spring 2021. The ACC was one of the only two conferences in men's soccer to play in the fall of 2020. The ACC also held a mini-season during the spring of 2021.

The Blue Devils finished the fall season 2–6–0 and 2–4–0 in ACC play to finish in fourth place in the South Division. In the ACC Tournament they lost to Pittsburgh in the Quarterfinals. They finished the spring season 2–4–3 and 2–3–1 in ACC play, to finish in third place in the Coastal Division. They were not invited to the NCAA Tournament.

Player movement

Players leaving

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Michael Reis 0 GK 6'2" 180 Senior Claremont, CA Graduated
Will Pulisic 1 GK 6'1" 180 Senior Mechanicsville, VA Graduated
Stephen O'Connell 2 DF 5'11" 170 Senior Rye, NY Graduated
Matthias Frick 3 DF 6'2" 195 Senior Feldkirch, Austria Graduated
Daniel Wright 7 FW 5'10" 140 Senior Wixom, MI Graduated
Jack Doran 8 MF 5'11" 180 Graduate Student West Roxbury, MA Graduated
Kristófer Garðarsson 10 MF 6'1" 175 Senior Akranes, Iceland Graduated
Micolas Macri 11 FW 6'1" 175 Senior Buenos Aires, Argentina Graduated
Kees Heetderks 16 DF 5'10" 170 Sophomore Chapel Hill, NC —
Sintayehu Clements 19 DF/FW 6'1" 180 Freshman Seattle, WA —
Adrian Vela 20 DF 6'0" 170 Senior Richmond, TX Graduated
Alex Slover 24 MF 5'11" 170 Sophomore Westhampton, NY —
Matthew Wolf 30 GK 6'1" 205 Freshman Chapel Hill, NC —

Players arriving

Duke signed seven players during the 2021 recruiting period.[1]

Name Nat. Hometown Club TDS Rating
Felix Barajas
FW
  USA Los Angeles, CA LA Galaxy (Academy) [2]
Jai Bean
FW
  BER Bermuda Black Rock FC [3]
Sebastian Docters
DF
  USA Larchmont, NY New York SC Academy [4]
Grant Farley
GK
  USA Baltimore, MD Baltimore Armour [5]
Ruben Mesalles
MF
  USA Longboat, FL IMG Academy [6]
Shakur Mohammed
MF
  GHA Kumasi, Ghana Black Rock FC [7]
Mateo Cornejo
MF
  USA Cary, NC North Carolina N/A

Squad

Roster

As of February 9, 2022[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
0 GK United States USA Grant Farley
1 GK United States USA Eliot Hamill
2 MF United States USA Mateo Cornejo
4 DF Northern Ireland NIR Lewis McGarvey
5 MF United States USA Antino Lopez
6 MF United States USA Cameron Kerr
7 FW Iceland ISL Thorleifur Úlfarsson
8 MF United States USA Peter Stroud
9 FW United States USA Scotty Taylor
10 MF United States USA Nick Pariano
11 FW Bermuda BER Jai Bean
12 MF United States USA Ruben Mesalles
13 DF United States USA Ian Murphy
14 MF Ghana GHA Shakur Mohammed
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 FW United States USA Krew Verratti
16 MF United States USA Luke Thomas
17 MF Japan JPN Santa Ihara
19 MF United States USA Felix Barajas
20 MF United States USA Carl Fisher
21 MF United States USA Daniel Aguilar
22 MF United States USA Conor Kelly
23 GK United States USA JT Harms
24 MF United States USA Carter Cribbs
25 FW United States USA Miguel Ramirez
26 DF United States USA Amir Daley
28 MF United States USA Sebastian Docters
29 DF United States USA Nate Mulvaney

Team management

Position Staff
Athletic Director United States Kevin White
Head coach United States John Kerr
Associate head coach England Michael Brady
Assistant Coach United States Kyle Renfro
Volunteer Assistant Coach United States Tristan Wierbonski

Source:[8]

Schedule

Source:[9][10]

Date
Time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (Attendance)
City, State
Exhibition
August 12*
7:00 p.m. 		at No. 25 Coastal Carolina T 1–1  —
 CCU Soccer Field
Conway, SC
August 14*
7:00 p.m. 		at UNC Wilmington W 4–2  —
 UNCW Soccer Stadium (701)
Wilmington, NC
August 17*
7:00 p.m. 		at No. 24 High Point W 2–0  —
 Vert Stadium (265)
High Point, NC
August 21*
11:00 a.m. 		NC State L 1–3  —
 Koskinen Stadium
Durham, NC
Regular season
August 27*
7:30 p.m., ACCNX 		Liberty W 3–0  1–0–0
 Koskinen Stadium (851)
Durham, NC
August 29*
2:30 p.m., ACCNX 		Merrimack W 4–0  2–0–0
 Koskinen Stadium (262)
Durham, NC
September 2*
7:00 p.m., BTN+ 		No. 24 at Michigan W 1–0  3–0–0
 U-M Soccer Stadium (0)
Ann Arbor, MI
September 6*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 24 Seattle L 0–1 2OT 3–1–0
 Koskinen Stadium (503)
Durham, NC
September 11
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 19 No. 6 Virginia Tech W 1–0  4–1–0
(1–0–0) 		Koskinen Stadium (863)
Durham, NC
September 19
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 12 at No. 16 North Carolina
Rivalry 		W 3–0  5–1–0
(2–0–0) 		Dorrance Field (2,310)
Chapel Hill, NC
September 25
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 6 at Syracuse W 1–0  6–1–0
(3–0–0) 		SU Soccer Stadium (1,879)
Syracuse, NY
September 28*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 4 Howard W 4–0  7–1–0
 Koskinen Stadium (739)
Durham, NC
October 1
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 4 No. 14 Louisville W 3–1  8–1–0
(4–0–0) 		Koskinen Stadium (1,017)
Durham, NC
October 5*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 3 Elon W 3–1  9–1–0
 Koskinen Stadium (520)
Durham, NC
October 9
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 3 at No. 13 Pittsburgh L 2–3  9–2–0
(4–1–0) 		Ambrose Urbanic Field (1,409)
Pittsburgh, PA
October 15
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 9 No. 23 Clemson L 2–3 OT 9–3–0
(4–2–0) 		Koskinen Stadium (1,204)
Durham, NC
October 19*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 18 at Furman W 3–2  10–3–0
 Stone Stadium (538)
Greenville, SC
October 22
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 18 at No. 20 Notre Dame T 1–1 2OT 10–3–1
(4–2–1) 		Alumni Stadium (1,037)
Notre Dame, IN
October 29
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 13 Virginia W 3–2  11–3–1
(5–2–1) 		Koskinen Stadium (1,117)
Durham, NC
ACC Tournament
November 7
2:00 pm, ACCN 		(3) No. 13 (6) Wake Forest
Quarterfinal 		W 3–2  12–3–1
 Koskinen Stadium (1,062)
Durham, NC
November 10
7:00 pm, ACCN 		(3) No. 11 at (2) No. 9 Clemson
Semifinal 		W 1–0  13–3–1
 Riggs Field (3,237)
Clemson, SC
November 14
2:00 pm, ESPNU 		(3) No. 11 vs. (5) No. 20 Notre Dame
Final 		L 0–2  13–4–1
 WakeMed Soccer Park (2,737)
Cary, NC
NCAA Tournament
November 21
1:00 p.m., ACCNX 		(7) No. 11 No. 22 UCLA
Second Round 		W 2–1  14–4–1
 Koskinen Stadium (626)
Durham, NC
November 27
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		(7) No. 11 (10) No. 8 Saint Louis
Third Round 		L 3–4  14–5–1
 Koskinen Stadium (714)
Durham, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Awards and honors

Recipient Award Date Ref.
Peter Stroud Preseason All-ACC Watchlist August 18 [11]
Eliot Hamill ACC Defensive Player of the Week September 7 [12]
ACC Defensive Player of the Week September 21 [13]
ACC Defensive Player of the Week September 28 [14]
Thorleifur Úlfarsson ACC Offensive Player of the Week October 5 [15]
Thorleifur Úlfarsson ACC Offensive Player of the Year November 10 [16]
Peter Stroud ACC Midfielder of the Year
Shakur Mohammed ACC Freshman of the Year
Thorleifur Úlfarsson All-ACC First Team
Shakur Mohammed All-ACC Second Team
Ruben Mesalles ACC All-Freshamn Team
Shakur Mohammed
Shakur Mohammed ACC All-Tournament Team November 15 [17]
Peter Stroud
Thorleifur Úlfarsson

2022 MLS Super Draft

Main article: 2022 MLS SuperDraft
Player Team Round Pick # Position
Thorleifur Úlfarsson Houston Dynamo 1 4 FW
Ian Murphy FC Cincinnati 1 14 DF

Source:[18]

Rankings

Main article: 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
United Soccer[19]—241912643918131311Not released12
TopDrawer Soccer[20]———189869131110101410121212

References

  1. ^ "Blue Devils Welcome Seven Newcomers for 2021 Campaign". goduke.com. Duke University Athletics. July 29, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  2. ^ "Felix Barajas". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  3. ^ "Jai Bean". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  4. ^ "Sebastian Docters". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  5. ^ "Grant Farley". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "Ruben Mesalles". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  7. ^ "Felix Barajas". topdrawersoccer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "2021 Men's Soccer Roster". goduke.com. Duke University Athletics. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  9. ^ "2021 Men's Soccer Schedule". Duke Blue Devils Athletics. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  10. ^ "Duke Announces 2021 Schedule". goduke.com. Duke Blue Devils Athletics. July 21, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  11. ^ "Pitt Named Preseason ACC Men's Soccer Favorite". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  12. ^ "Sigurdarson, Hamill Earn ACC Men's Soccer Players of the Week Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Virginia Tech's Labovitz, Duke's Hamill Notch ACC Men's Soccer Player of the Week Honors". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  14. ^ "Bailey, Flores, Hamill Earn ACC Men's Soccer Player of the Week Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  15. ^ "Ulfarsson, Asensio Notch ACC Men's Soccer Player of the Week Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  16. ^ "2021 All-ACC Men's Soccer Team Unveiled". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  17. ^ "Notre Dame Wins 2021 ACC Men's Soccer Championship, 2-0, Over Duke". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "Ulfarsson, Murphy Selected in 2022 MLS SuperDraft". goduke.com. Duke University Athletics. January 11, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  19. ^ "NCAA DI Men's National Rankings". National Soccer Coaches Association of America. December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  20. ^ "College Soccer National Rankings". TopDrawer Soccer. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.